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Gelgrast
Gelgrast is the second-largest city of Valatsa, and the capital of the Zdera duchy. It is most known for its quarries, as well as for being the site of the Urdvarg Military Academy. Early history Gelgrast was founded in the tenth century BT, in a bid to turn a scattered stonecutting community into an incorporated city. Its leader, Dragan of Gelgrast, sought to establish a successor state to the rapidly crumbling Doka; however, Dragan came into immediate opposition with Vazrana Urdvarg, who was attempting to create a state of his own in Stagrang. Dragan and Vazrana went to war twice; the first (955–951) was inconclusive, but the second (943–940) was a major Stagrian victory, after which Dragan pledged fealty to Stagrang. This led Gelgrast to become the 'second city' of the Middle Valat state, and early Gelgrast/Stagrang trade allowed for both cities to build larger castles and churches. Vazrana II of Valatsa, who came to power in 930, founded the Urdvarg Military Academy in Gelgrast in 919. This institution quickly came to be one of Valatsa's most elite academies, and is still in operation today. Tristanian period After the Tristanians lost their hold on the Sunicar city-states, they initiated a retaliatory attempt at expansion, including a war against Valatsa. During this war, Tristania's Oberbaron Aurelius II seized Gelgrast in 604 BT, bringing the city into the Tristanian fold. Gelgrast became one of the northernmost major cities in Tristania during this time, and the Urdvarg Military Academy became a major training point for soldiers who fought in the sixth-century Cadral revolution; however, the ultimate failure of Tristania in this conflict led to some governmental disillusionment with Gelgrast. Gelgrast declined in power for some time, gradually leading to displeasure in the city; this ultimately drove Ratko VII of Valatsa to declare war on Tristania to bring back the Gelgrast region. Ratko supplemented his own army with Hiesinal mercenaries, allowing him to relatively quickly beat back the Tristanians and reclaim Gelgrast in 293. Back in Valatsa, Gelgrast's importance quickly ascended to its prior peak, and it regained its status as a major metropolis in its nation. Dorian period During the Dorian Wars of Conquest, Gelgrast was not conquered as part of the main war effort; rather, it was officially subsumed under Dorio when Stagrang fell in 22 DR. The Dorian officer installed in Gelgrast was Edmund Tominett, a relative moderate, leading Gelgrast to be comparatively peaceful; the significant Dorian presence at the Urdvarg Military Academy may have also contributed. Gelgrast did have several uprisings under Dorian rule; it was involved in the 71–74 Valat uprising, upon the implementation of Heplianism, and joined Vazrana Ezdem's revolt after the appointment of William Yedv to the Lord Reverendship. However, Gelgrast's revolts were never a source of serious danger, as they tended to be quickly crushed by the local armies. By the fourth century, as the Daravian empire started to crumble, pro-independence agitation began proliferating in Gelgrast. This existed at a mild level for some time, but the anger reached new heights after the bloody and inconclusive Vote War, which sparked particular bitterness among the soldiers of Gelgrast. Military membership in Slojod Uldova rose quickly throughout the 380s, and so when the Valat Revolution broke out, the Dorian army around Gelgrast dissolved into infighting between pro-Dorio and pro-Valatsa factions. Recent history The southward expansion of Valatsa, under the reign of Krastan I, was deeply connected to Gelgrast; Urdvarg-trained soldiers made up a large proportion of the Valat army, and Gelgrasti stone was used in the construction of north-south roadways and in southern infrastructure. Gelgrast's quarries are still its foremost source of revenue; its economic importance has declined somewhat, as the central Valat government has emphasized sea trade, but it is still a major population center in the nation. The majority religion in Gelgrast is Vazranism. Category:Cities Category:Valat Cities